


Mr. Skywalker, have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?

by coramalias



Category: Star Trek, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-03 23:29:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10977630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coramalias/pseuds/coramalias
Summary: A Vulcan, one of the founding members of the Federation. Anakin had never gotten along with Vulcans. Well, to be quite honest he had met few, but the point still stood. He couldn’t wrap his head around the philosophy of restricting his emotions. He was never the type of person to follow his head over his heart; his emotions were the core of who he was and the motivation behind his decisions. His love of his mother, his hope for freedom for Bajor, and even his unrelenting anger for Cardassia were what kept him alive during the Occupation. Emotions gave him direction, showed him what moral paths were his to take. How could you even live without acknowledging them?Anakin raised his hand in the Ta’al, albeit a bit awkwardly. Kenobi didn’t seem to mind, or rather his expression remained neutral. He nodded his head in acknowledgement and returned the gesture.This is the Bajoran!Anakin AU that no one wanted. (A Star Wars/Star Trek crossover)





	1. All Aboard

“Lieutenant Commander Skywalker?” A voice called from below him, most likely outside the entrance to the Jefferies tube he’d managed to wriggle himself into.

“This is he.”

“I’m Ensign Tano, I’ve been sent to accompany you to the transporter room. Is your combadge malfunctioning?”

_I wouldn’t know,_ Anakin thought to himself bemusedly, _since I left it on the other side of engineering department._ He usually preferred to work without interruptions. It wasn’t possible while on missions; too many went haywire at a second’s notice. So, as an unspoken agreement with his captain, he was left to complete his shift in peace whenever the ship was docked at a starbase.

“No, it’s not with me at the moment. Can I help you?” His voice portrayed anything but helpfulness. Could he really be blamed? Starbase stops were few and far between and he was longing to work on repairs that didn’t come with the threat of his imminent demise.

“You’re to report to the transporter room to greet new officers,” Tano informs him, voice losing a bit of her formal tone, “the Captain says you were supposed to be there an hour ago.”

_Fuck._ “Fuck.”

He heard a muffled laugh as he climbed down the ladder. “It’s okay, they haven’t boarded yet. Apparently someone was interfering with the conduits that power the transporter.”

“I wonder who.” Anakin deadpanned, shrugging on his Starfleet uniform jacket. Usually he preferred to work in the undershirt, but formal functions required a full suit.

Tano smiled at him and held out her hand to shake. He accepted it, looking over the new crewman, as she was obviously new, he’d never seen her before today. Well, he did spend a lot of time down in the depths of engineering, but even he had seen most of the regular staff on board the USS Republica.

He doubted he’d forgot her. Starfleet was inclusive, that much was obvious by Anakin being there as well, but humans made up the majority of crewmen. A close majority, but a majority nonetheless. Even outside of humans, a significant amount of crewmates were humanoid with various distinctions. Ensign Tano, however, was more unique. Her skin was an unusually vivid orange color and streaked with white patterns framing her face. Her hair, as white as her markings and thick, was braided in long twin braids, with streaks of blue woven through it. Her eyes, crinkled in a friendly smile, were a startling yellow.

“What department are you in?”

“I’ve just been assigned to Engineering,” She replied with a knowing eyebrow raised as she looked him over.

In only a lubricant-stained tank top and standard uniform pants, he doubted he looked very professional.

He scoffed, but couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious in front of a new recruit. “Today was my day off.”

“I thought you were on shift today?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he waved his hand flippantly as he wandered in search of his combadge, “I planned on spending the day working on repairs, not holding ensign’s hands so they don’t wander into the warp core.”

“Well, at least you won’t have to worry about me. I know my way around a starship.” She said confidently. Anakin snorted unpleasantly. He’d thought that way about himself once, too.

“If you say so. Will you be joining me?”

“For the rest of your shift or for the meet and greet?”

“Either. Both. I don’t know, you tell me.” They were approaching the turbolift, but Tano stopped outside the door and smiled sweetly.

“You’re on your own, Chief.” She chirped, still smiling as the turbolift doors closed.

“Don’t get snippy with me, kid.” It was unprofessional, but the doors closed so quickly that she probably didn’t even hear it.

***

“Ah, Lieutenant Commander Skywalker. So good of you to join us.”

“Apologies, Captain.” Anakin said with only the barest hint of insincerity. All things considered, Captain Mothma was good to Anakin. They weren’t close, the nature of their positions didn’t allow much interaction between them outside of emergencies, but they did understand each other and work together well. It wasn’t her fault that Anakin had a predisposition to challenge any and all form of authority. He couldn’t help it, really.

The transporter whirred to life as he settled into his position in the line of officers. Particles rearranged themselves to form five figures on the transporter pad.

“Welcome aboard the Republica. I’m Captain Mon Mothma. This is Commander Koon, First Officer; Lieutenant Commander Unduli, Chief Medical Officer; Lieutenant Commander Skywalker, Chief of Engineering; and Lieutenant R2-D2, head of the Astrometrics department.”

A young Trill stepped forward to introduce herself to the first person in the lineup.

“My name is Commander Padmé Naberrie. I am assigned to be in charge of the Operations department.”

Commander Naberrie was easily the most beautiful woman Anakin had ever met, and he had met quite a few in his travels through deep space. Like all Trill, she had intricate paths of black spots etched around her features which led beneath her uniform collar. Her hair, long and dark, was arranged in a series of twists atop her head. Unlike most officers, she had chosen the alternative dress uniform instead of regulation slacks. He wore the same color, vivid yellow, on his uniform every day, yet on her it was positively radiant. Her soft brown eyes found R2-D2 and she smiled in recognition.

“Hello, old friend. I do believe you know me from a past life.” She placed a hand on the top of R2’s casing and patted gently. R2-D2 whirred excitedly.

_Naberrie! You’ve changed._

Naberrie laughed good-naturedly. “Trill do tend to do that, Lieutenant. We will have to catch up soon.”

She moved on from R2-D2 and, _oh_. Anakin was the next person in line.

One of the other officers was introducing herself, but Anakin couldn’t pay attention to anything other than the woman now standing in front of him expectantly, hand held out in greeting. After a moment of hesitation, he took her hand, and a part of him frantically wanted to kiss it out of respect.

“Skywalker, wasn’t it? I wonder if we’ve met before, the name sounds familiar. I did spend some time on Bajor during the former Naberrie’s time as a humanitarian aid.”

Anakin swallowed nervously. “It’s possible. We’ll have to meet again, when we have enough time to discuss it.”

Naberrie’s smile turned from polite to knowing. Anakin’s palms started to sweat, and he was very grateful he was no longer holding her hand. Shaking, shaking her hand.

“We’ll have to discuss it over dinner sometime,” she agreed. Something about the way she looked him over gave him the sense that she was amused at him, although obviously nothing was wrong whatsoever why does she need to continue to look at him with those eyes?

“Absolutely.”

Anakin had no idea who the next officer was, but he shook her hand and pretended to know anyway. He turned back in to hear the fourth new crewman introduce himself.

“I am Lieutenant Commander Obi-Wan Kenobi. I will serve as the Chief Diplomatic Officer.”

R2-D2, in absence of the ability to perform a Ta’al, ejected one of his multipurpose port arms enthusiastically.

A Vulcan, one of the founding members of the Federation. Anakin had never gotten along with Vulcans. Well, to be quite honest he had met few, but the point still stood. He couldn’t wrap his head around the philosophy of restricting his emotions. He was never the type of person to follow his head over his heart; his emotions were the core of who he was and the motivation behind his decisions. His love of his mother, his hope for freedom for Bajor, and even his unrelenting anger for Cardassia were what kept him alive during the Occupation. Emotions gave him direction, showed him what moral paths were his to take. How could you even live without acknowledging them?

 Anakin raised his hand in the Ta’al, albeit a bit awkwardly. Kenobi didn’t seem to mind, or rather his expression remained neutral. He nodded his head in acknowledgement and returned the gesture.

It _was_ a bit unusual to see a Vulcan with such fair hair. Kenobi’s hair was such a light brown it was almost strawberry, and parted over the side. At least he didn’t have a bowl cut. He must have some sense after all.

There was an uncomfortable pause – uncomfortable for Anakin, at least – when the Ensign in front of him held up the line by speaking with Unduli.

“Diplomatic Officer, huh? So you’ll be going on away missions then?”

Kenobi raised a slanted eyebrow. “When I am needed, I presume I will.”

Anakin nodded, for lack of anything else to do. “Well, then we’ll probably never see each other. I rarely get out of engineering.”

“Unfortunate.” Kenobi said so solemnly that, if Anakin didn’t know any better, he’d think he was joking.

“If you ever want to brush up on your technical skills, you know where to find me” He offered, not knowing what else to say before they parted.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Then, blessedly, the lineup continues to move.

***

“Hey, Snips, pass me the duotronic probe.”

“Snips?” Tano asked incredulously, “Already a day in and you’re insulting me?”

“Well,” Anakin said with a decoupler between his teeth as he took the tool Tano offered, “you’re much too snippy for an Ensign.”

“’Join Starfleet,’ they said. ‘You’ll be a respected engineer,’ they said,” She muttered to herself.

“Hey, I heard that! I’ll respect your skills once I see them in action.”

Tano climbed one of the metal platforms to a computer terminal and ran a diagnostic alongside Anakin’s own assessment. She was silent as the computer read off its findings, only mildly impressed that Anakin’s assessment had been correct.

“You’re just embarrassed to admit that you forgot to ever ask my first name, Skyguy.”


	2. In a Past Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well, if you have to know,” Anakin couldn’t help but be a little smug, “we agreed to meet for dinner after her shift ends."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my inner george lucas keeps trying to make anakin and padme walking cliches, but i must remain vigilant.
> 
> (it probably happened anyway)

Anakin rarely spent time on the bridge. For one, there’s not much he can do there that couldn’t be performed by another crewman. Besides, he didn’t enjoy it much anyway. He’d only been aboard the Republica for six months and in that time hadn’t gotten out of engineering much. Captain Mothma wasn’t a strict captain, but she certainly wasn’t lenient either. He would only be welcome on the bridge with a legitimate reason, and there was no room in Mothma’s book for socializing on shift.

In Starfleet Academy, Anakin never had many friends, or really any at all. He had acquaintances, sure, but never any consistent friendships. Probably a byproduct of being fresh out of a war for independence while the rest of the cadets were fresh-faced teenagers from Federation planets.

Anakin shook his head, trying end that train of thought in its tracks.

The bridge. Although Anakin rarely went, it was where Commander Naberrie spent most of her time. Logically, of course, he knew that was where she would likely be; irrationally, he found himself longing to see her. She had no professional reason to visit him in engineering, and Naberrie was anything but unprofessional. But, he still wished she would.

This day gave him a unique opportunity. He was to report to the bridge to repair a communication panel malfunction. Commander Naberrie would likely be there and, if it was a slow day, he could schedule that dinner they’d agreed to three weeks ago.

The turbolift doors opened with a satisfying swish and Anakin stepped onto the bridge.

“Mr. Koon,” Mothma announced from the captain’s chair as Anakin made his way to the communication station, “have the away teams been scheduled for the visit to Ytthon III?”

Anakin tuned out from the rest of the conversation as he approached the station, where Commander Naberrie was ducked under the panel.

“Excuse me, Commander,” Anakin said politely, a grin slowly forming, “what are you doing?”

Naberrie huffed in frustration and lifted herself off the floor. She straightened her skirt forcefully and blew a stray piece of hair from her face.

“Skywalker. I was having trouble with the communications array, so I tried to fix it myself.” She admitted reluctantly, settling back in her chair and pushing it from the desk, allowing Anakin to make his way underneath.

Anakin began his work, still smiling despite the fact that she couldn’t see it. “Did one of your past lives have more engineering experience than your current one?”

“Engineer, maybe not. But I’ll have you know that Moteé Naberrie could take apart machines and put them back together within the hour.”

Anakin hummed in acknowledgement. Around them, crewmen followed the example of their senior officers and chatted about ship operations among themselves. Communications down meant that not much could be done on the bridge at the moment. Anakin started running his tricorder along the stretch of panel open to him, but divided half of his attention to Naberrie.

“Where’s 3PO? He’s usually working communication.” The android rarely left his post and was quite anxious about the possibility.

“I offered to take some of his shifts, as I am also qualified in several dozen languages.”

Anakin whistled. “Impressive.”

“Thank you.” Naberrie said, somewhat quietly. She cleared her throat. “Can the problem be fixed easily?”

“Relatively,” Anakin grunted, resting the tricorder on his chest as he flipped open a door to another set of wires. “My estimate is around three hours.”

“Three hours?” Naberrie asked incredulously, “Can I help with anything? It’s not like I can do much else here.”

“Your company is help enough.”

“Oh.” A pause. “In that case, would you like to know about my home planet?”

“Trill? Of course. I’ve never had the chance to visit.”

“Oh, it’s a beautiful place…”

***

“How was the bridge?” Ahsoka asked when Anakin stopped by her post in engineering. She’d caved on week two and told him her first name, to which he replied that he’d seen her official Starfleet record on his roster a month prior. To which she replied with a hearty punch on the arm. He still had the bruise.

“It was the bridge,” Anakin answered helpfully, “how was medical? Are you okay?”

As Anakin predicted, Ahsoka wasn’t as familiar with the Republica as she’d believed. She’d gotten a mildly severe burn from a plasma conduit while Anakin was on the bridge. Mothma received the comm and passed the message to Anakin, who had still been chatting with Naberrie. Even though Lieutenant Commander Unduli had assured him that she was in stable condition, Anakin shortened his estimated repair time to a mere hour and rushed back to engineering.

“I’m fine,” she waved off his concern. He’d only known her for a few weeks, but he was protective of her. Not only because she was so young, by his estimates only just barley an adult, but also because she was one of _his_ crewmen, and he was responsible for her.

“It’s just a mild burn, nothing to worry about. The dermal regenerator patched me up fine. You know the new nurse right?”

“Unduli?” Anakin asked in confusion. He doubted Unduli would appreciate the demotion in rank, but he didn’t know anyone else in medical.

“No, Ensign Offee. She said that you met when she boarded.”

Oh. Must have been someone he missed. “I remember now.”

“No, you don’t,” she said sternly, but the effect was ruined by the grin following it. “She’s Orion, does that ring any bells?”

“Considering that I thought the only Orion on board was Unduli, no it does not. Sorry, Snips.” Anakin scrolled through his PADD, checking off the first few objectives of the day that were already complete.

“Well, she remembered you. She agreed with me: you have to go up to Commander Naberrie and ask her on a date, already. According to Offee, you were making heart eyes on first contact.”

“Hey,” Anakin scolded, wriggling his finger in her direction threateningly, “that’s no way to talk to your commanding officer. Besides, how would she even know?”

“We may be ensigns, but we’re not blind,” she rolled her eyes, steadfastly ignoring the look Anakin threw her and continuing her work.

“Well, if you have to know,” Anakin couldn’t help but be a little smug, “we agreed to meet for dinner after her shift ends, so…what are you doing?”

Ahsoka spared him a glance, the first one since he’d walked in. “It’s a high five. You hit my hand with the palm of yours.”

Anakin blinked, wholeheartedly confused.

“Why would I hit you?”

“It’s a human custom. It’s a celebratory gesture.”

“Oh, okay.”

A loud smack echoed. A few ensigns’ heads turned toward the direction of the sound.

“Ow! It’s supposed to be gentler than that!”

“Sorry!” Anakin threw his hands up nonthreateningly. That, at least, was a gesture he knew.

“Here, try again.”

Anakin’s significantly gentler high five soared through the air in vain.

“Ha! Too slow!”

“Get back to work, ensign.” Anakin grumbled. Ahsoka cackled to herself as he walked away.

***

“So, tell me: who was the last Naberrie, the one who visited Bajor?”

Naberrie smiled at him over her glass of tranya. “He went under several names during his short life. It was necessary, given the nature of his profession. He was a humanitarian, of course, but he couldn’t help but involve himself in politics as well. He and I are very much alike in that regard, but that’s neither here nor there. His ideals put him in danger often, so he used many aliases.”

Anakin chewed his bite thoughtfully before responding. “What was the name he used on Bajor?”

“Jinn, if I remember correctly. Is that name familiar to you?” Anakin dropped his fork in surprise and it landed on his plate with a clatter.

“ _Qui-Gon_ Jinn?”

“Yes, Qui-Gon was his first name. So I was right before, we _have_ already met?”

“Yes, we met,” Anakin shook his head in an effort to recover from the direction this conversation turned, “I wasn’t aware he was a joined Trill.”

Naberrie winked. “It wasn’t exactly knowledge he wanted to be common.”

“Fair enough.” Anakin shrugged, still in disbelief.

“I was born and raised on Bajor, as you can probably guess. My mother and I were all each other had and she tried her best to shield me from the reality of the occupation. When I was 9 years old, I left her home to join the Resistance. I knew Bajor wouldn’t survive as long as the Cardassians were there, but I didn’t want my mom to be a target. So I left to protect her.

“I served in the Bajoran Resistance for 9 years. I met Qui-Gon a few times, but never saw him regularly. It’s understandable that you didn’t recognize my name; I used an alias, too. He… well, he saved me.”

Anakin paused, not quite sure how to describe what Jinn had done for him. Naberrie reached for his hand across the table and squeezed it gently.

“He saved you?” She prompted.

“The war was over and the Cardassians were ordered to withdraw. I was in a makeshift refugee camp, set up by Jinn and hidden in a temple, right under the nose of the Cardassian in charge. I was following up on intel that Jinn was to pass along to the Resistance. The Gul in charge, he went into a rage and refused to leave Bajor. He ordered the entire town to be slaughtered.”

“I _remember_ ,” Naberrie gasped, “That was the day Qui-Gon died.”

“I never knew what happened to him, all I knew was that he stayed behind so we could get as many people out as possible. He gave me a commbadge and told me to only speak to Dooku. He told me his first name, his coordinates, and made me promise to get our group into Federation space.”

“ _Vader_?”

Anakin smiled weakly. “That’d be me.”

Naberrie returned his smile much more enthusiastically.

“I’m so glad you all made it, Vader. Qui-Gon did die that day, but thanks to you, Dooku knew where to find me. I was beamed up to a starship, from a discrete distance away from retreating Cardassians of course, and well… you can guess the rest,” she gestured to herself.

“I’m glad you made it, too.”

The two sat in comfortable silence for a moment, enjoying each other’s presence.

“I’d prefer if you didn’t call me Vader. I haven’t used that name in a long time.” There were things he did under that name that were better forgotten.

Naberrie nodded with understanding. “Of course. What should I call you instead?”

“Anakin.”

“Padmé. It’s a pleasure to know you, Anakin.”

“Likewise, Padmé.”

***

“Lieutenant Commander Skywalker?” An unfamiliar voice called out to him from the main engineering deck. Anakin, currently squished between wiring and slightly smoldering insulation, looked around helplessly.

“Uh, I’m not exactly in a position to come out of here right now. Is there something you need?”

“I’m Mr. Kenobi, we met when I boarded three weeks ago. I came to see if your offer to assist the engineering department was genuine. As we have not yet departed for our mission, I have little to do in the way of diplomacy. Although my engineering experience is somewhat limited, I do have qualifications that could be useful.”

Anakin sincerely considered not responding, but he’d have to leave eventually and having a well-meaning Vulcan ambush him wasn’t how he wanted to end his shift.

“Well, Mr. Kenobi,” Anakin caught the decoupler between his teeth and continued in a slightly muffled voice, “it certainly couldn’t hurt to have an extra hand around here, especially with how soon we’ll be shipping out –“

“I apologize for interrupting, but are you quite alright in there?”

He could probably see the smoke wafting out into the main room. Well, hopefully it didn’t set off any alarms.

“I’m fine, thanks. Just a hiccup in my plan of action here, but it’s under control. As I was saying, as long as the Captain has no problem with it, you’re welcome in engineering. Send me your qualifications and I’m sure I can find somewhere for you to help.”

“Thank you, Mr. Skywalker.” A pause. “Do you need a fire extinguisher?”

Anakin sighed. “That’s probably a good idea, just in case. Toss me one, will you?”

A moment later, a fire extinguisher was securely placed within arm’s reach of Anakin at the entrance of the workplace he’d created for himself.

“Thank you. What do you know, you might work out well here after all.”

“I’ll certainly do my best.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all my tabs are memory alpha
> 
> also, to clarify, ahsoka is the species jaylah is in beyond. her species doesn't have a name, but that's what i was trying to get across.


	3. It's a Small Universe After All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prophets help him.
> 
> _He got his new Vulcan engineer to smile._
> 
> Ok, it was definitely a small smile. More like a distinct twitch in the corner of his mouth, but it was still there and Anakin was immensely pleased with himself.

When Anakin returned from his shift, taking off his uniform jacket and draping it on his desk chair, he found an alert displayed on his personal PADD. Kenobi had sent his Starfleet personnel file.

“What’re you up to, ‘Obi.” Anakin murmured sleepily to himself. He sat down heavily and started to read.

**CREW MANIFEST DATABASE 40275**

            **CURRENT STARFLEET RANK:** LIEUTENANT COMMANDER

            **CURRENT ASSIGNMENT:** CHIEF DIPLOMATIC OFFICER

STARSHIP USS REPUBLICA – NCC-49277

            **DATE OF BIRTH:** 31 MARCH 2353

**BIRTHPLACE:** SHIKAHR, VULCAN

**ENTERED STARFLEET ACADEMY:** 2377

**GRADUATED STARFLEET ACAD:** 2380

            KENOBI, LT. COMMANDER OBI-WAN

“Damn,” Anakin said appreciatively, “only three years in the academy?”

            **FORMER ASSIGNMENTS:**

            Attaché to Federation Outreach to Bajor, 2367-2368

            Federation Diplomatic Corps, 2369-2377

            Assistant Engineer Officer USS Cicero, 2370-2372

            Attaché to Federation Councilman, 2374-2377

_Well, he is qualified,_ Anakin thought to himself as he laid back in his chair, exhausted from the day. He closed his eyes and sighed, content to rest there for a moment before dragging himself to bed.

_I wonder if he has any other hidden talents,_ he mused, _maybe he’s a fencer_.

“Computer,” he paused for a yawn, then continued, “enter into the personnel database that Lieutenant Commander Kenobi has been assigned to additional duties in engineering, allowing flexibility with the needs of the diplomatic division.”

“Personnel database updated as required, Lieutenant Commander Skywalker.” The computer’s gentle voice informed him.

“Thanks.” He turned in his chair, already drifting to sleep.

***

“Well!” Anakin clapped his hands in excitement as he walked into engineering the next morning, steadfastly ignoring the new crick in his neck. “Who’s ready to ship out?”

Waiting for him was a group of a dozen ensigns, with the addition of Kenobi and Ahsoka. At his entrance, Ahsoka and a few other scattered ensigns groaned aloud. Kenobi raised an eyebrow, obviously concerned for his department’s blatant lack of respect for their superior officer.

“Whenever he’s this chipper in the morning,” she explained, patting Kenobi’s arm sympathetically, “it usually doesn’t bode well for the rest of us.”

“C’mon, Snips, lighten up. It’s his first day!” Anakin smiled entirely too widely.

“Mr. Kenobi, Ahsoka: you’re with me. We’re gonna make sure this ship stays intact until we arrive at Ytthon III,” Anakin strolled by the common area and gave out additional instructions to the remaining crewmembers.

Ahsoka easily fell into step behind him as he continued to his destination, Kenobi following closely.

“Mr. Skywalker, what exactly is it that we will be doing as the ship goes to warp?”

Anakin waved his hand noncommittally. “You’ll see, Mr. Kenobi. It’s a rite of passage for all new engineering crewmen on the Republica. And with your luck, it’s your first assignment as well.”

Ahsoka hurried to match pace with him, curiosity piqued. “I’ve never heard of a rite of passage for new crewmen.”

Anakin smiled, less manic than before. “That’s because it’s unique to the Republica.”

“How much do either of you know about the Republica?” He asked as he ascended the stairs to a higher metal platform.

“The USS Republica NCC-49277 was commissioned three years ago as one of the first Twilight class starships.”

Anakin winked at him. “Bingo, Mr. Kenobi.”

Kenobi blinked, unaffected. “Thank you.”

The trio continued their ascent to the highest levels of engineering deck platforms. As they made their spiraling journey across the main engineering facility, they came across fewer and fewer occupied posts. Finally, when they could go no higher, they were led through a door to a separate room.

“Are we going toward the warp core?” Ahsoka asked.

Anakin nodded. “Yes. As you both already know, Twilight class starships house the main engineering facility separate from the warp core. The highly volatile nature of the warp core, of course, lands us in trouble whenever conditions are less than ideal, be it enemy fire or deep space anomalies. With the new design, if there is a warp core breach, then the core can be contained and the engineering department can continue its attempts to save the ship safely from the main engineering deck.”

The room he led them into was a towering cylindrical room with short platforms extending from various sides. The warp core, a long tube of transparent material with an extended round piece toward the bottom, shone a luminescent white. The contents writhed inside, glinting, creating the illusion that it was moving.

Ahsoka opened her mouth to ask another question, but Anakin’s commbadge interrupted her. “Captain to engineering, are we ready to warp, Mr. Skywalker?”

“Affirmative Captain, we are ready to warp.” Anakin quickly gestured for his companions to join him on the edge of the short platform. As far as they could tell, no one else was in the room but them.

Around the group, the warp core hummed to life. This close, Anakin could feel his ears strain to pop with the sudden pressure change as the ship jumped to warp. At the same time this happened, the warp core lit up with color. Blues and purples swirled together and shone brightly in the dimly lit room. The sudden activity of color was luminescent enough to cast a glow on the faces of those present.

While the latter two were transfixed by the sight in front of them, Anakin was watching their reactions.

He hadn’t started the tradition, but he’d been sure to continue it when he was promoted to Chief Engineer. He loved the awe on his ensign’s faces when all the work they’d put in came to life around them. This time was no exception.

Ahsoka’s face was lit up, with both the swirling colors reflected on her skin and her own excitement. She wasn’t smiling. Her mouth was half-open, like it parted halfway to a smile before she was distracted by the heart of the ship coming alive in front of her. Her hands gripped the railing of the platform tightly and she leaned forward on her tip-toes toward the core.

Anakin wasn’t quite sure what he expected from Kenobi, but it certainly wasn’t what he saw. Kenobi’s eyes were wide, darting back and forth across the length of the core in an effort to take everything in. His hands fell from where they were formally clasped behind his back and hung limp at his side. He was… smiling.

Prophets help him.

_He got his new Vulcan engineer to smile._

Ok, it was definitely a small smile. More like a distinct twitch in the corner of his mouth, but it was still there and Anakin was immensely pleased with himself.

After a few moments, the core dimmed somewhat and the ship settled into its trajectory. Simultaneously, Ahsoka and Kenobi turned to him expectantly.

Anakin grinned. “The change in placement, along with other technical adjustments, had the unexpected outcome that you just witnessed.”

Ahsoka launched herself at him in a hug. Startled, Anakin returned the embrace briefly, before she pulled away. She seemed embarrassed at her sudden affection.

“Sorry,” She laughed the moment off, rubbing her arms a bit self-consciously, “and thank you for showing us that. It was beautiful.”

Kenobi nodded in agreement. “I thank you as well, Mr. Skywalker.”

“It was my pleasure. Now, I do believe we have a ship to run. Ahsoka, report to your post on the main deck. Check your PADD for your instructions for the day.”

Ahsoka nodded and shot him another smile before she left the way they came.

He turned back to Kenobi, who was already watching him with his arms once more securely behind his back.

“While she runs standard take-off protocols, I’ve got a project you’re going to help me with.”

Kenobi looked unimpressed. “Will we require another fire extinguisher?”

Anakin laughed. “You know it.”

***

_Hello, Anakin. I work the late shift tonight, so I can’t do dinner. Would you like to meet me for breakfast tomorrow instead? – CDR. Naberrie_

Anakin found himself grinning down at his PADD as he walked down the halls, not caring who was around to witness it.

_Of course. I’ll see you there. – LCDR. Skywalker_

***

Padmé was waiting for him when he arrived at the dining area. She gave him a cheerful wave as he stood in line for the replicator. After acquiring his food – he’d had a particular craving for Andorian cuisine, funnily enough; probably because the Bajoran selections were disappointing to say the least – he made his way to the table she had chosen for them.

“Good morning, Anakin,” she said pleasantly as he sat across from her.

“Good morning, Padmé.”

“How have you been?”

He shrugged while she waited for him to finish chewing. “A bit tired, but I’ll have plenty of time to catch up on sleep while we’re in transit. Not much for me to do that hasn’t already been done at the starbase.”

“I envy you,” she teased, waving her fork at him, “Now that the mission has truly started, the work for C3PO and I has only increased. Do you know much about the planet we’re traveling to?”

“Not anything beyond Mothma’s briefing.” And it was brief indeed.

“We’re on an exploratory mission of the cultural variety. There were reports from a Vulcan science vessel concerning the discovery of untranslatable texts that originated from the planet surface.”

Anakin snorted. “If the Vulcans admitted they can’t figure it out, then there must be something truly spectacular on that planet.”

After remembering who exactly he was talking to, Anakin felt a blush rising to his cheeks. He cleared his throat and sternly told himself to stop laughing like… that.

But Padmé just shook her head with a smile. “That’s not very kind, Anakin. But, I’ll admit, I was thinking much the same thing.”

“It must be exciting, though. Solving the unsolvable?”

She bit her lip to hide her widening smile and nodded. “It’s why I wanted to join Starfleet. Seeking out new life, new civilizations…”

“I assure you, a lot of people have grown pessimistic during the war. It’s rare to find someone who still appreciates what we do in peacetime.”

She either ignored his complement or didn’t notice. He would bet good credits on the former. “Were you serving on a starship during the Dominion War?”

“No, I only graduated the academy a year and a half before the war ended. I was stationed on Earth. I was present for the Breen invasion, but little else.”

She hummed thoughtfully. “I was present for negotiations and diplomatic functions mainly. I was stationed on the USS Cairo for a time as well, but it was destroyed before the end of the war. Fortunately, not while I was on board.”

“Do all Naberries live life so dangerously?” Anakin teased in an attempt to cover his concern.

“Not always, but it does seem to be the trend doesn’t it?” She winked.

His response was interrupted when R2-D2 rolled over to their table.

_Are you bothering my new Naberrie again, Skywalker?_

Anakin’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to defend himself, but couldn’t quite think of what to say. Padmé dissolved into giggles.

“No, R2, we were just having breakfast together. You’re welcome to join us.”

R2’s lights flashed a bit in thought before he beeped again.

_Food is overrated, but I’ll sit with you. Gotta keep an eye on Skywalker. Engineers are always the slick ones. Don’t let him smooth-talk you, Naberrie._

“R2, I thought we were friends, too! Why not defend my honor instead?”

R2 rolled back and forth, considering it before responding.

_Rather defend Naberrie. Now move over._

***

_Hey, I meant to ask this morning: did you know LCDR. Kenobi when you were on Bajor? His record says he was there for a few years. – LCDR. Skywalker_

Anakin settled in for the night, not expecting a reply until morning. He was pleasantly surprised.

_Yes, Qui-Gon knew Kenobi. But I also have a friendship with Kenobi as I am now, as Padmé. It’s a small universe after all. – CDR. Naberrie_

Anakin laughed aloud and smiled at the ceiling, relaxing and letting his thoughts flow into sleep. Padmé had befriended a Vulcan, in not one lifetime but two. He doubted that there were many things that she couldn’t achieve once she decided she wanted to.

A small universe it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i edited the entire universe but R2-D2 is literally exactly the same as he is in star wars
> 
> .... well, definitely cleaner than he is in star wars, but still.


	4. The Away Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If communications cease to function and Away Team 1 has not reported in the span of one standard week, then a rescue mission will be launched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as you can tell by the tags, i accidentally obianidala-ed. i haven't tagged it yet because kenobi and padme haven't even interacted, but the intent is to get there.

**MISSION BRIEFING: USS REPUBLICA TO YTTHON III**

SECTION 4A : AWAY TEAM 1

After four days of orbital scans and analysis have been completed, the ability to send an away team will be discussed. If an away team is sanctioned by the Captain, the procedure will be as follows.

Away Team 1 will consist of Lieutenant Commander Unduli, Chief Medical Officer; Lieutenant Commander Skywalker, Chief of Engineering; Lieutenant Commander Kenobi, Chief Diplomatic officer; and Lieutenant C-3PO, Communications Officer. Early reports indicate life signs on the surface. Direct contact with native lifeforms is to be avoided until assessment of untranslated text is complete. If further knowledge is needed from natives, to be decided by Lieutenant C-3PO, then the authority of the mission will be transferred to Lieutenant Commander Kenobi. Any diplomatic agreements reached with native lifeforms must be approved by the Captain before the mission can continue.

Early reports also indicate consistent ion storms. If beaming technology is deemed too dangerous, shuttlecraft will be dispatched as an alternative. Communications are predicted to function despite the ion storms. If communications cease to function and Away Team 1 has not reported in the span of one standard week, then a rescue mission will be launched.

*******

Anakin’s first impression of Ytthon III was _bright_. His eyes involuntarily squinted against the light and he tried to raise a hand to shield against the midday sun. A distressed hum escaped him when he found he couldn’t move either of his arms. He blinked blearily and tried to readjust to his surroundings. Why was he laying down?

“Try not to move,” a soft voice came from above, “you’ve been injured.”

“Where are we? What happened?” He asked as his companion brushed something cool against his forehead.

“We are on the surface of Ytthon III. How much do you remember?” Anakin recognized that voice: it was Kenobi.

Anakin turned his head to the side in an attempt to see him without the interference of sunlight. Kenobi was on his knees beside Anakin’s sprawled out form. His uniform, usually pristine, was covered in debris. A ragged cut stood out along his cheek, oozing a substantial amount of green blood. His dominant hand continued to press the cool item against Anakin’s head, which he belatedly realized must be a sterile cloth from a first aid kit. Kenobi was cleaning what was probably a similar gash on his own forehead.

Anakin, still not entirely in control of his own actions, reached out a hand and turned Kenobi’s chin to see the cut better. “You’re hurt.”

Kenobi carefully removed his hand from his face and placed it securely back on the ground.

“I am fine. As a Vulcan, I have both a substantially increased tolerance for pain and a more durable immune system. It is you who has the greater need for medical attention. Now, what do you remember?”

Feeling vaguely insulted, Anakin answered. “I was flying the shuttle. We were navigating the ion storm and….”

Anakin trailed off, eyebrows scrunching in confusion. Kenobi, apparently finished cleaning his wound, applied a shining silver bandage. Despite the blunt nature of his words, his touch was surprisingly gentle.

“Our navigation systems failed. At the helm, you were closest to the blast when a chain reaction of short-circuits resulted in an electrical explosion. With you unconscious, I was unable to repair the shuttle before it crash landed.”

Anakin struggled to sit up despite Kenobi’s many protests as he did so. “Did everyone survive?”

Kenobi hesitated, then nodded. “For the time being. All personnel are accounted for. I was the only one to maintain consciousness and you are the first to awaken.”

“Where are they? I can help you apply first aid.”

“No.” Kenobi said firmly. “You were the closest to the first explosion, we have no idea what internal injuries you may have.”

“What do you mean you have no idea? Don’t you have a tricorder?”

“Yes, but the medkit was on fire when I retrieved it from the shuttle.” Kenobi deadpanned. “It is not functioning properly.”

Anakin took a moment to himself to take stock of his injuries. Despite feeling nauseous, a splitting headache, and the multiple abrasions presumably from the crash landing, he felt relatively fine. He’d definitely survived worse.

“We are the same rank, Kenobi.” Anakin said with as much calm as he could manage with his head feeling like a battering ram. A battered ram? Both. “You are not a medical officer, you cannot confine me to bedrest. I’m going to help you tend to the wounded.”

Kenobi, of course, didn’t visibly react. “Very well.”

***

Of the four of them, Unduli was obviously the worst off. Between him and Kenobi, he was the one with more medical experience. The years he spent on Bajor, with extremely limited access to medical technology and an ample amount of patients needing help, prepared him to work under even the most hopeless of circumstances. Kenobi allowed him to take the lead. He felt a little guilty for invading Unduli’s personal space while she was still unresponsive, but he needed to know the extent of her injuries.

From what he could tell, she had one broken leg, possibly a concussion from a nasty blow on her temple, and multiple abrasions that tore through her uniform and marred the skin underneath.

Anakin was most familiar with Bajoran biology, for obvious reasons. He picked up a bit of common knowledge while he attended the academy, mostly about human anatomy. This helped him little while attending to an Orion.

“Sorry, Lieutenant Commander Unduli,” Anakin told her, despite her current state of unconsciousness, “you’ll probably be disappointed in my handiwork.”

“I’m sure she will appreciate it, given the circumstances.” Kenobi offered.

Anakin didn’t risk using a regenerator on her wounds without assistance from an actual medical professional, severe as they were. Instead, he devised a makeshift brace out of two branches from the foliage nearby and sturdy-looking twined cloth from the medkit. She wouldn’t be able to put any weight on it, but at least it was something.

Together, he and Kenobi cleaned the more gruesome of her wounds. They treated them much the same as Anakin’s had been treated. They used the bandages sparingly and several lesser abrasions remained in the open air.

C-3PO was an entirely different story. The android had shut down at some point, likely due to a malfunction caused by any number of things surrounding the crash. Anakin decided to work on him later, when he was more alert and clear-headed to handle C-3PO’s delicate circuitry. He and Kenobi moved both 3PO and Unduli a safe distance away from the crash site.

“Now, your turn.” Anakin ordered, settling down on the grass and patting the space in front of him. “Sit down and let me help.”

“It is unnecessary for you to help. I can tend to my own wounds.”

Anakin shook his head. “Nonsense. One, we have no mirrors for you to see your injuries properly. Two, we agreed that I have more medical experience. It’s…. well, it’s logical for me to help you, Kenobi.”

He considered Anakin’s response.

“As you wish.” Kenobi sat down across from him. A bit too far, in fact. Anakin had to scoot closer so he could reach him.

When Anakin reached out for him, a cool compress in hand to wipe away the grime that had settled on his injury, Kenobi stopped his hand by gripping his wrist and keeping his distance. Before Anakin could object, Kenobi began to speak.

“Please be aware that Vulcans are very sensitive to touch, Mr. Skywalker.”

Anakin raised an eyebrow and smirked at Kenobi knowingly.

“Not in the way you are no doubt assuming,” Kenobi quickly corrected, his eyes narrowing slightly at Anakin’s expression, “but culturally and physiologically it is… uncomfortable… for us to be in physical contact with beings we are not familiar with.

“Don’t worry, Kenobi, I’ll be gentle.” Anakin winked.

If Kenobi were anything else than a Vulcan trained for years to be an unreadable diplomat, he was sure he would have glared. As it was, he merely released Anakin’s wrist and allowed him to continue.

As promised, Anakin was as gentle as possible when cleaning the blood and dirt off Kenobi’s wounds. He started with the one on his cheek and was only mildly entertained by the sight of Kenobi with a giant sparkling bandage on his face.

He had few other cuts that needed further care beyond cleaning. Kenobi rolled his sleeve up carefully and revealed a puncture wound.

“By the prophets,” Anakin breathed, immediately grabbing Kenobi’s elbow and turning his arm to get a better view, “how did this happen?”

“A piece of rebar was almost embedded into my arm.”

“Why… why is it burned?”

“The rebar was on fire. It was instantly cauterized.”

Anakin blinked. Have mercy on his soul, how did this man even survive on his own? “You didn’t think to, I don’t know, treat this at all?”

“It was not necessary. I was in control of the pain –“

“Like fuck it’s not necessary!” Anakin bitterly tore off another section of bandages and set about applying them to Kenobi’s wound. Where was a hypo when you need one? “Just because you have control over your emotions doesn’t mean that real, physical _pain_ isn’t something you should pay attention to.”

“Mr. Skywalker,” Anakin paused his treatment in surprise. Kenobi’s tone was nowhere near his usual detachment, it was almost kind. “I appreciate your concern, but the choice to withstand pain in order to help others in need is a choice I would gladly make again.”

Anakin gave himself a moment to settle down his anger before responding. He met Kenobi’s eyes with a smile beginning to form. “You, glad?”

Kenobi nodded in acknowledgement of the correction. “A figure of speech, of course.”

“Oh, of course.”

The two sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments as Anakin continued to treat his companion. He noticed a series of scrapes on his knuckles that looked concerning. He moved his attention to Kenobi’s right hand first.

“We need to find shelter and a water source for the night.” Anakin commented offhandedly.

“We won’t be able to carry the others far. Even if Unduli wakes up, it is very unlikely she will be able to walk on her own.”

Anakin nodded. “We should rest first, I think. From what you managed to recover from the wreck, we should have enough water rations to hold out for several days.”

Kenobi didn’t respond. Anakin’s attention was brought away from his injuries in concern. Was he hurt elsewhere and not telling him?

Kenobi wasn’t looking at him. Instead, he was staring intently at the grass beside them. The cheek not enveloped by a bandage was tinted a light green.

“You okay, Kenobi? Any more injuries you haven’t told me about?”

This time an answer was immediate. “No. I agree with your assessment. I will help you construct something to carry them with.”

Anakin wasn’t entirely convinced by his answer, but went back to cleaning his wounds nonetheless. “Then it’s a plan. Between the two of us engineers, we should be able to rig something up. At least enough to keep Unduli and 3PO out of any bad weather.”

If Anakin hadn’t been essentially holding his hand in that moment, he wouldn’t notice the way his fingers twitched at his words. Huh.

“Indeed.”

***

They found an adequate place to settle just a few clicks away from the crash site. The shuttle had crashed in an open field surrounded by dense temperate forest. By tying a large tarp around several tree trunks, they were able to create an overhang. It wasn’t the ideal shelter, but it would have to do for now.

“I’m getting worried.” Anakin confided in Kenobi as they sat across from each other, a makeshift campfire between them and their companions to their side.

“What will we do if Unduli doesn’t wake up soon? 3PO I’m not so worried about, I can fix him. But if Unduli isn’t awake to tell us what to do for her…”

Anakin trailed off, unwilling to finish that train of thought. He and Unduli weren’t friends by any stretch of the imagination, but he had seen enough death in his lifetime. He had no desire to see any more.

“The navigation was only inoperative for a short amount of time before we crashed. If I am correct about our current location, we should be close to a potential alien civilization.”

“Are you suggesting we ask them for help?”

“If Unduli remains unconscious, it may be our only hope of helping her.”

Anakin shook his head. “You can’t be serious. We know nothing about them. What if they’re hostile?”

Kenobi considered that for a moment. “You should stay here while I seek their assistance. That way, if they are hostile, they will only know about me.”

“That’s an even worse plan!” Anakin shouted and threw his hands in the air in frustration. “I’m not going to send you off to your death!”

“What other choice do we have?” Kenobi was unaffected by Anakin’s dramatics. “If you go, I will be left without the knowledge needed to monitor Unduli. If we both go, Unduli and C-3PO will be left to fend for themselves. There is no other option.”

“I’m not letting you go alone.” Anakin’s tone left no room for argument. “I’ll work on C-3PO tonight. If I’m successful, he can watch over Unduli while we go stake out some aliens.”

Kenobi’s mouth twitched downward in a slight frown. “Mr. Skywalker, you’re endangering yourself needlessly. I am the diplomat, in this situation it is I who is the expert.”

“And I’m the ex-soldier. If they are hostile, you’ve got no hope of getting out of there alive without me.”

His eyebrow raised. “You think I cannot take care of myself?”

“No,” Anakin sighed, the fight leaving him and his shoulders slumping, “but we shouldn’t break off on our own. We’re alone out here, we need to have each other’s backs. Don’t leave without me, Kenobi.” He couldn’t be responsible for losing someone else.

Kenobi didn’t answer.

“Promise me you won’t leave without me.”

Kenobi released a deep sigh. “I agree. I will not leave without you.”

“Good.”

Silence reigned over the conversation, not nearly as comfortable as the last time.

“I’ll take first watch. I slept enough after the crash.” Anakin joked half-heartedly.

Kenobi nodded and laid back from his seat across from Anakin, settling in for the night with his back to the fire.

“Goodnight, Kenobi.”

“Wake me in 3 hours. It is all I require.”

Anakin snorted. Yeah, right.

“Sure. 3 hours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [*gasp* anakin! you can't just make out with your chief diplomatic officer in the middle of a crisis! ](http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Vulcan_finger-touching)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> i accidentally obikin'd because i can't pass up an opportunity to poke fun at vulcan!obi-wan. 
> 
> none of them are even together but for my peace of mind, i'll tag it anyway so people know what they're getting into

**Author's Note:**

> alternate title: If you go into my quarters and examine the bulkhead next to the replicator, you'll notice there's a false panel. Behind that panel is a compartment containing an isolinear rod. If I'm not back within 78 hours, I want you to take that rod... and eat it.
> 
> (on tumblr @cptnjimmy, if you like this au and have ideas come yell about it with me)
> 
> EDIT: [NOW WITH ART?!?! ART.](http://daddywarbats.tumblr.com/post/161197666286/thanks-cptnjimmy-for-writing-the-thing-the)


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